Unfortunately, I have far too much writing due to launch a "Tour de Poe" any time soon. And Poe, being a considerably deeper and more complex author than HPL, would take longer to do anywhere close to right.
Or will likely ever produce -- it's just awfully hard to imagine a single writer who revolutionizes one genre (horror), creates another (mystery fiction), and does A-list work in four more (science fiction, satire, humor, and hoax), while also adding substantially to the poetic canon and re-inventing literary criticism.
This is also to some extent true of H. P. Lovecraft, who was deeply inspired by Poe. He was also a polymath, being both a serious amateur scientist and, of course, a writer of weird fiction and poetry.
Speaking of The Greatest Horror Writer EverrminkoffJanuary 19 2009, 15:46:18 UTC
"This is also to some extent true of H. P. Lovecraft...."
One could start a partisan debate: but Mr. Lovecraft is such a natural outgrowth of Mr. Poe that it would equal upholding the honour of a trees branches against that of its trunk: or of dividing the Substance.
This is also to some extent true of H. P. Lovecraft...
True enough, although Lovecraft only revolutionized one genre and did A-list work in two more. He didn't create a genre, and as a poet, to be charitable, HPL is no Poe. If he'd written more criticism, he might be worthy of comparison to Poe on those grounds -- his eye was excellent.
On the other hand, his SF was more influential than Poe's.
Lovecraft did not exactly create the concept of demons and evil gods being malevolent natural life forms (that honor probably goes to De Maupassant and Hodgson), but he popularized it, and to the point where it's now the standard science-fantasy assumption. He was tremendously influential on most horror of the mid and late 20th century, and is still influencing writers and artists today -- most recently Mignola and Del Toro, whose versions of "Hellboy" are both very inspired by the Mythos.
"Illumination" is very much the word, but you have to consider it a shady illumination--in Dupin's case, the green shades he wears (also worn by the devil in "Bon-Bon").
Or, for an alternative way into Poe--something outside of the genres you name--look to his series of landscape stories: "The Island of the Fay"--where half of the island is lit, half in shade, and the narrator/viewpoint located halfway between--, "The Landscape-Garden/The Domain of Arnheim," and "Landor's Cottage."
(David Ketterer's The Rationale of Deception in Poe is a pretty good book about some of these issues--and it's not checked out at the Regenstein library, though I don't know if you have borrowing access, now that I think of it.)
Comments 15
I say 'run with it, man!'
Reply
Reply
This is also to some extent true of H. P. Lovecraft, who was deeply inspired by Poe. He was also a polymath, being both a serious amateur scientist and, of course, a writer of weird fiction and poetry.
Reply
One could start a partisan debate: but Mr. Lovecraft is such a natural outgrowth of Mr. Poe that it would equal upholding the honour of a trees branches against that of its trunk: or of dividing the Substance.
Reply
True enough, although Lovecraft only revolutionized one genre and did A-list work in two more. He didn't create a genre, and as a poet, to be charitable, HPL is no Poe. If he'd written more criticism, he might be worthy of comparison to Poe on those grounds -- his eye was excellent.
On the other hand, his SF was more influential than Poe's.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Poe-Mythos?
Tell me more!
Reply
Or, for an alternative way into Poe--something outside of the genres you name--look to his series of landscape stories: "The Island of the Fay"--where half of the island is lit, half in shade, and the narrator/viewpoint located halfway between--, "The Landscape-Garden/The Domain of Arnheim," and "Landor's Cottage."
(David Ketterer's The Rationale of Deception in Poe is a pretty good book about some of these issues--and it's not checked out at the Regenstein library, though I don't know if you have borrowing access, now that I think of it.)
Reply
Randy Porter
Reply
Leave a comment